Energy 101

Sustainable energy refers to any source of energy with a supply large enough to meet its own rate of consumption, and as a result, satisfy present energy needs without compromising those of future generations. Learn about how Sustainable Energy Fund can help you finance your sustainable energy project.

The most common examples include solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, wave, tidal, and biomass. All are derived from sustainable sources of energy including sun (solar), wind, water (hydroelectric, wave, and tidal), heat from the earth (geothermal), and biological material (biomass).

Not necessarily. Renewable and sustainable energy are similar, but not everything renewable is sustainable and vice versa. Renewable energy sources naturally replenish with time and have minimal impact on the environment, but some sources are not sustainable due to their intermittent nature. Sustainable is a broader term and refers to energy possessing a large enough supply to meet its own rate of consumption. A renewable energy source cannot be sustainable if consumed faster than it can replenish itself.

Renewable energy sources are replenished naturally by the environment over short periods of time such as solar, wind, water, or geothermal power. Nonrenewable sources exist in finite quantities and will eventually run out with respect to the human timetable. These include coal, oil, and natural gas.

Alternative energy typically refers to sources other than the most commonly used sources like coal, petroleum, and natural gas. The term alternative energy is sometimes used interchangeably with renewable energy and its sources include solar, wind, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass.

In theory, solar energy is the most sustainable. The power, supply, and overall consistency of the sun vastly outweigh that of any other energy source. Truthfully, the most sustainable configuration will likely utilize multiple sources of energy including solar, wind, and hydroelectric power.